Swing Rhythms
Many songs are played using a swing rhythm because it creates a great momentum. It first became popular as a dance rhythm in Jazz, Blues, Gospel and Pop music in the early 20th century. A swing rhythm can be created by tying the first two notes of the triplet group together.
The two eighth note triplets tied together in the previous example can be replaced by a quarter note.
To simplify notation, it is common to replace the z with 6 , and to write at the start of the piece 6 = z as illustrated in the next example.
Swing rhythms can also be applied to rhythm patterns. In the following pattern, the eighth notes in the second and fourth beats are swung. Try playing this rhythm holding a C chord.
Rhythm Pattern
Now apply the swung rhythm pattern to the following song.
Rhythm Pattern
